What is water pie made of?

The pie is made by adding water mixed with sugar, flour and butter, and sometimes some spice such as vanilla or cinnamon, to a pie crust . The starch in the flour makes the mixture set and thicken, thus acquiring a custard-like consistency. Soft drinks such as Sprite may be used in place of water.

Is water pie the same as chess pie?

Chess pie is another old-timey recipe that is similar to water pie, with one big difference: Chess pie is made with egg yolks and milk .

What does a water pie taste like?

Water Pie Ingredients Vanilla extract: With sweet, rich fragrance, this is the main flavoring agent of the pie. Apple cider vinegar: Most water pie recipes don't call for vinegar, or perhaps suggest it as an optional addition. We say that it's mandatory. Without it, the pie tastes “flat,” just one-note sweet.

What is the history of water pie?

But that's not the case with water pie, also known as hard times pie, a recipe born out of the Great Depression, per Atlas Obscura. A pie filling composed mainly of water might sound nutty, but it made sense during the harsh economic times of the 1930s.

What tasty treat was created during the Great Depression?

Water Pie . Water pie — made with just six ingredients: water, flour, sugar, vanilla extract, butter, and a pie crust — may seem like a fun hack today, but during the Great Depression, it was simply a dessert that reflected the circ*mstances for many Americans.

What was a popular meal during the Great Depression?

Celery soup mixed with tuna fish and mashed potatoes. A salad of corned beef, gelatin and canned peas. Baked onion stuffed with peanut butter . Those are just some of the recipes Americans turned to during the Great Depression, when many families struggled to eat enough nutritious food.

What was commonly eaten during the Great Depression?

Food was always home cooked, and people usually ate bread, vegetables, meat , etc. The most common meal was made of a composite dish with one portion of proteins (meat, eggs, fish, cheese, pulses), one portion of potatoes, pasta, or bread, and two portions of vegetables, followed by fruit as dessert.

What is hot water pastry made of?

Hot water crust is traditionally used for producing hand-made pies. As the name suggests, the pastry is made by heating water, melting the fat in it, bringing the mixture to a boil, and finally incorporating the flour . This can be done by beating the flour into the mixture in the pan, or by kneading on a pastry board.

Pi Water is known as the water that enhances living energy . It is well known especially in Japan. According to the book, “Origin and Future of Science,” Pi Water enhances energy in the body, improves the condition of incurable and chronic diseases, grows plants faster and healthier, and keeps food fresh longer.

What is funeral pie made of?

Raisins are first plumped in a mixture of water, sugar, flour, vanilla, lemon juice, and butter . Then the filling is poured into a prepared pastry crust, topped with another crust and baked. Serve it with scoops of rum raisin ice cream.

Water Pie - Recipe from the Great Depression (2024)

Pie

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Discover the magic of water pie. A Great Depression era recipe, it takes simple ingredients to create this deliciously creamy and buttery pie. You won’t believe one of the main ingredients is water!

Jump to Recipe

Water pie is one of those magical recipes that came out of the depression era where cooks with little to nothing figured out how to make delicious dishes for those they love. This Depression era pie recipe was shared with me by Kay West and I published it in my third cookbook, Sweetness: Recipes to Celebrate the Warmth, Love, and Blessings of a Full Life.

This Depression era water pie recipe belonged to Kay’s grandmother, who had eight children and made her family of 10 three meals from scratch every single day. During leaner times, she developed this recipe so that her family could still enjoy dessert from time to time, no matter how hard their days were. These recipes are such a special treasure to us!

I think you’ll really enjoy the simplicity of this water pie. It has a creamy buttery taste, similar to a custard pie or warm vanilla cookie once it’s chilled and sliced. Half the thrill will be telling your family the name and that the main ingredient is water! Once you have had this pie you are going to be in the mood for all different kinds of pies like Apple Pie,Cracker Pie, Strawberry Cream Pie, andGerman Chocolate Pie.

Recipe Ingredients

You know when a recipe was created to make something out of nothing, it’s going to be simple on the ingredients.

A deep-dish pie crust (see tips for success at the bottom of this post).
Water
Sugar
Flour
Butter
Vanilla extract

Helpful Kitchen Tools

Deep Dish Pie Pan(Splurge)
Deep Dish Pie Pan(Budget Friendly)
Small Mixing Bowl
Measuring Cup

Begin by pouring water into your deep dish and unbaked pie crust, which should be in a pie dish. You can either use a pretty ceramic one like this or a disposable one doesn’t have to be boiling water, either – just straight from the tap is fine.

In a small mixing bowl, stir together flour and sugar.

Sprinkle the flour mixture over your water in the pie shell. The original recipe called for doing this with a spoon so I’m showing you that way but I usually just use my hand to sprinkle it because I feel like I can get it more even that way.

Storage

You can store pie leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days.

Recipe Notes

I use a Pillsbury all vegetable frozen deep-dish pie crust, unbaked, for this recipe. I suggest a store-bought deep-dish pie crust because homemade pie crusts in your own dish are going to vary in terms of depth and may result in the filling not getting fully done in the prescribed amount of time.
Before you begin making this pie, tear off a piece of foil large enough to cover your pie dish. Cut an X in the center and peel back the X. This will make it quick and easy to cover your pie should the edges begin getting too dark and will keep you from losing valuable heat during the baking process.
The pie will be bubbly and could be watery in some spots when you pull it out of the oven. It will gel fully as it cools. It is best if you allow this pie to cool completely and then cover and refrigerate until chilled before cutting.

Recipe FAQs

What is the difference between a water pie and a Sprite pie?

A Sprite pie is basically a modern-day version of the water pie. It became famous in 2020 when TikTok took the world by storm. They both taste very similar, like a delicious sugar cookie. If you’d prefer to make a Sprite pie instead of a water pie, simply substitute the water for 1 can of Sprite. Follow the same instructions and ingredients in the recipe card and voila, you have yourself a Sprite pie!

Because you can never have too many great pie recipes:

Mint Oreo Ice Cream Pie

Triple Chocolate Brownie Pie

Impossible Lemon Pie Recipe

Water Pie

Water Pie is a depression era recipe that turns bare bones ingredients into a delicious buttery pie!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pie

Servings: 4

Calories: 178kcal

Author: The SouthernPlate Staff

Ingredients

1 9-inch deep-dish pie crust, unbaked
1 1/2 cups water (that is one and a half cups)
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 tablespoons butter, cut into 5 pieces

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 and set empty pie crust on a baking sheet.
1 9-inch deep-dish pie crust, unbaked
Pour 1 + 1/2 cups water into the pie crust.
1 1/2 cups water
In a small bowl, stir together the flour and sugar. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the water in the crust. Don't stir.
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1 cup sugar
Drizzle the vanilla over the water in the pie crust. Place pats of butter on top of this.
2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 5 tablespoons butter, cut into 5 pieces
Bake at 400 for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 and cover sides of crust if needed to prevent burning. Continue cooking for an additional 30 minutes.
Pie will be watery when you pull it out of the oven but will gel as it cools. Allow to cool completely and then cover and place in the fridge until chilled before cutting.

Nutrition